Exams and assessment

The way of assessing the subjects is usually very different from that used in the United States.

You’ll be probably surprised because in some cases, a subject is mainly assessed through a single final exam at the end of the course.

In many cases, the senior lecturer will offer other forms of assessment; for example: partial exams, preparation of written works, projects, field works, bibliography analysis, exercises (whether to be done in class or at home), practices, presentations in class, etc. Attendance to classes could be possibly taken into account.

Usually, the final grade depends on a combination of the exam grade and the rest of the activities carried out.

The way of assessment will be always detailed in the teaching guide or in the syllabus of the subject. The sections Estudios en la UDC (Degrees at the UDC) and Asignaturas (por áreas) (Subjects (by areas)) in this web lead you to the teaching guides or to the syllabus of the UDC subjects. If you don't find this information, ask to the academic direction of the HC-UDC programme.

Always be sure of perfectly understand how the assessment and the exams will be in order to avoid surprises. Don’t hesitate to attend to the senior lecturer's tutorship and ask him/her about it. If you fail the final exam of a subject, you won't have another opportunity to pass it.

If you have to make a work, a report, etc., try to show a draft of it to your senior lecturer well in advance of the delivery deadline so that he/she can make any comments, corrections or give you some guidance.

The dates of the exams are established from the beginning of the course. The senior lecturer isn’t obliged to change them or to give additional exams.


Notes

In the Spanish university system, the assessment is made through numeric grades, being 0 the worst one and 10 the best one. It’s necessary to get a 5 or a higher grade to pass a subject.

Frequently, the grades are mentioned through the words failed (from 0 to 4,9), passed (5,0 to 6,9), very good (7,0 to 8,9) and outstanding (9,0 to 10).

If you do not sit for the final exam, you won’t have any grade. If such were the case, in the report with your grades for Holy Cross the subject will appear as if you had been absent.
 

Publication of the grades

Usually, the senior lecturers shall publish the grades in the bulletin board some days after the exams. The grades of the different departments frequently appear in different bulletin boards, but this depends on the rules in each faculty. Ask your classmates if you don’t find your grades.
 

Contesting of exam results

At the same time the senior lecturers publish the grades, they offer the students certain dates and times for them to see the exams and have the possibility to contest them. It is very important that you go to talk with your senior lecturer and see your exam, particularly if you don’t agree about the grade. If you have to repeat the test, try to understand exactly the problems you have had.

Remember that whenever you have a problem with the exams or the assessment, you must get in contact with the academic direction of the HC-UDC programme.
 

Remarks

If you fail a subject, you can always sit for the exam in July.

Regulations

The exams are regulated in the Academic Rules for Assessment, Grades and Claims («Normas de avaliación, revisión e reclamación das calificacións dos estudos de grao e mestrado universitario»).